Articles & Issues
- Language
- English
- Conflict of Interest
- In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.
- Publication history
-
Received February 23, 2006
Accepted July 14, 2006
-
This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits
unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright © KIChE. All rights reserved.
All issues
Hydrodynamics and mass transfer behavior in multiple draft tube airlift contactors
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
prasert.p@chula.ac.th
Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, November 2006, 23(6), 881-887(7), 10.1007/s11814-006-0003-5
Download PDF
Abstract
The draft tube configuration significantly affected the performance of an airlift contactor. The multiple draft tube configuration was demonstrated to give a better gas-liquid mass transfer when compared with a conventional one-draft-tube system. The airlift with a larger number of draft tubes allowed a higher level of bubble entrainment, which rendered a high downcomer gas holdup. This resulted in a higher overall gas holdup in the contactor. Liquid velocity was also enhanced by increasing the number of draft tubes. The ratio between downcomer and riser cross sectional areas, Ad/Ar, had a great effect on the system performance, where a larger Ad/Ar led to a lower downcomer liquid velocity and smaller quantity of gas bubbles being dragged into the downcomer. This resulted in low gas holdup, and consequently, low gas-liquid interfacial mass transfer area, which led to a reduction in the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient. The presence of salinity in the system drastically reduced the bubble size and subsequently led to an enhancement of gas entrainment within the system. As a result, higher gas holdups and gas-liquid interfacial area were observed, and hence, a higher rate of gas-liquid mass transfer was obtained.
Keywords
References
Al-Masry WA, Chem. Eng. Process., 38(3), 197 (1999)
Blazej A, Kisa A, Markos J, Chem. Eng. Process., 43(12), 1519 (2004)
Camacho FG, Grima EM, Miron AS, Pascual VG, Chisti Y, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 29, 602 (2001)
Choi KH, Chisti Y, Moo-Young M, Chem. Eng. J., 62, 223 (1996)
Gopal JS, Sharma MM, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 60, 353 (1982)
Heijnen JJ, Hols J, Vanderlans RG, Vanleeuwen HL, Mulder A, Weltevrede R, Chem. Eng. Sci., 52(15), 2527 (1997)
Jianping W, Xiaoqiang J, Lei P, Changlin W, Guozhu M, Biochem. Eng. J., 25, 33 (2005)
Koide K, Iwamoto S, Takasaka Y, Matsuura S, Takahashi E, Kimura M, J. Chem. Eng. Jpn., 17, 611 (1984)
Krichnavaruk S, Loataweesup W, Powtongsook S, Pavasant P, Chem. Eng. J., 105(3), 91 (2005)
Merchuk JC, Ladwa N, Cameron A, Bulmer M, Pickett A, AIChE J., 40(7), 1105 (1994)
Miron AS, Garc MCC, Gomez AC, Camacho FG, Grima EM, Chisti Y, Biochem. Eng. J., 16, 287 (2003)
Prince MJ, Blanch HW, AIChE J., 36(9), 1425 (1990)
Russell AB, Thomas CR, Lilly MD, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 43, 69 (1994)
Shamlou PA, Pollard DJ, Ison AP, Chem. Eng. Sci., 50(10), 1579 (1995)
Silapakul S, Powtongsook S, Pavasant P, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 22(3), 393 (2005)
Wongsuchoto P, Pavasant P, Chem. Eng. J., 100(1-3), 1 (2004)
Blazej A, Kisa A, Markos J, Chem. Eng. Process., 43(12), 1519 (2004)
Camacho FG, Grima EM, Miron AS, Pascual VG, Chisti Y, Enzyme and Microbial Technology, 29, 602 (2001)
Choi KH, Chisti Y, Moo-Young M, Chem. Eng. J., 62, 223 (1996)
Gopal JS, Sharma MM, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 60, 353 (1982)
Heijnen JJ, Hols J, Vanderlans RG, Vanleeuwen HL, Mulder A, Weltevrede R, Chem. Eng. Sci., 52(15), 2527 (1997)
Jianping W, Xiaoqiang J, Lei P, Changlin W, Guozhu M, Biochem. Eng. J., 25, 33 (2005)
Koide K, Iwamoto S, Takasaka Y, Matsuura S, Takahashi E, Kimura M, J. Chem. Eng. Jpn., 17, 611 (1984)
Krichnavaruk S, Loataweesup W, Powtongsook S, Pavasant P, Chem. Eng. J., 105(3), 91 (2005)
Merchuk JC, Ladwa N, Cameron A, Bulmer M, Pickett A, AIChE J., 40(7), 1105 (1994)
Miron AS, Garc MCC, Gomez AC, Camacho FG, Grima EM, Chisti Y, Biochem. Eng. J., 16, 287 (2003)
Prince MJ, Blanch HW, AIChE J., 36(9), 1425 (1990)
Russell AB, Thomas CR, Lilly MD, Biotechnol. Bioeng., 43, 69 (1994)
Shamlou PA, Pollard DJ, Ison AP, Chem. Eng. Sci., 50(10), 1579 (1995)
Silapakul S, Powtongsook S, Pavasant P, Korean J. Chem. Eng., 22(3), 393 (2005)
Wongsuchoto P, Pavasant P, Chem. Eng. J., 100(1-3), 1 (2004)
